A Charity that supports and helps disaffected young people
has been helped by a large donation from the Connolly Foundation to help them and their families who were in need of help.
In the initial days of the lockdown and impact of the virus, Youthscape helped found a group of Luton organisations, large and small, to work together to respond.
The group of some 15 or so charities and project includes the Level Trust, the Foodbank, Families United Network, Autism Beds, Stepping Stones and Flying Start, as well as support from the Luton Borough Council.
The principle objective was to create a central referral point where any young person or family could ask for help of any kind, and the request would be directed to the organisation best placed to meet that need.
Within a week the team created a website and referral system and one of the Level Trust’s staff members took on the role of managing incoming referrals. These currently number an average of 100 a week.
Chris Curtis, of Youthscape, said: “The support from The Connolly Foundation has come at a critical time when we need to be supporting the young people of Bedfordshire in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The grant has meant we have been able to create new digital mentoring programmes, offer support where there are mental and emotional health issues, and meet practical needs for families with teenagers.
“We are delighted that the Foundation has stepped forward to support us when our work with young people is so in demand.”
